Besides being blessed with breath-taking natural beauty, Himachal Pradesh also offers a tasteful blend of culture and tradition. Himachal Pradesh is one such state where oomph factor is not limited to snow-capped mountains or hills, green valleys, and fresh air. Another thing that makes this state one of a kind are the different Himachal Pradesh cuisines. The food culture here is defined by an amalgamation of different kinds of cuisines from across India. Himachali or pahadi cuisine has a unique aroma as well as flavor to it due to the use of a lot of yoghurt and cardamom and cooking on slow flame. One can clearly see that the Himachali dishes have a lot of influence of Punjabi as well as Tibetan style of food.
Let’s have a look at Top 10 delicious dishes from Himachal Pradesh.
1. Tudkiya Bhath
Tudkiya Bhath is the authentic pulao of Himachal Pradesh that pahadi people cook in their own very style. Made with the goodness of rice, lentils, potatoes and yoghurt along with onion, tomatoes, garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, Tudkiya bath tastes best when served with mashed dal and few drops of lime juice.
2. Chha Gosht
A typical Himachal specialty, Chha Gosht is a scrumptious dish prepared with the marinated lamb which is further cooked in the gravy of gram flour and yogurt. The taste of this dish is highly enhanced when it is well cooked in the spices like cardamom, red chili powder, coriander powder, bay leaf, asafoetida and ginger-garlic paste.
3. Babru
Babru is a Himachali version of the famous North Indian kachoris stuffed with black gram and deep fried. It is made by stuffing soaked and ground black gram daal paste to worked dough patties. These patties are after that rolled and deep fried and offered with tamarind chutney.
4. Dham
It is a meal prepared by the Brahmins of the regions of Chamba by cooking rajma, green lentils as well as rice in curd. It is offered teamed with mash daal, boor ki kari and sweet and sour sauce made from tamarind and jaggery. It is traditionally served on plates made out of leaves.
5. Palda
It is also known as Pahari Aloo Palda. It is a creamy potato subzi simmered in yogurt. This gravy dish is sweet with a bit of sourness in it. It is a common dish of Himachali cuisine that people often make with potatoes or it can also be made with a mixture of vegetables as well.
6. Siddu
Made from wheat flour, Sidu is a local side- dish of Himachal Pradesh which greatly complements the main course of mutton or some vegetables. This partly cooked dough is then steamed to keep the taste and nutrients of the ingredients intact.
7. Kullu Trout fish
Kullu trout is a famous dish of Kullu region which is prepared with trout fish. The marinated fish is cooked in the minimal spices to keep the nutrients and the original taste of Trout intact.
8. Mittha
Mittha is the sweet dish of Himachal Pradesh prepared on special occasions. It has sweetened rice mixed with dry fruits and raisins.
9. Khatte Chane
Made with black chickpea, gram flour, spices and jaggery this traditional dish is also called “Channe ka Khatta” or simply “Khatta”. This recipe is sweet and sour in taste, with a strong flavour of mustard oil and is usually eaten with rice.
10. Aktori
Made with buckwheat leaves and wheat flour, Aktori is basically a pancake that is best served with pickle and spicy red chilli chutney. Traditionally, the dish is prepared during the festive time and on special occasions